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June 5, 2006

Lieberman faces showdown over Iraq

by Sam Savage

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

MERIDEN, Connecticut (Reuters) - After years of ardent
support for the Iraq war, Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman
could become that conflict's first big political casualty in a
Democratic primary race fueled by rising anti-war anger.

Lieberman, the party's vice presidential nominee in 2000,
faces a growing challenge from a political neophyte who has
rallied Democrats angered by the senator's enthusiastic backing
of the war and willingness to support Republican President
George W. Bush on other issues.

Challenger Ned Lamont's underdog bid to unseat Lieberman in
Democratic-leaning Connecticut could offer an early gauge of
the intensity of anti-war sentiment ahead of November's midterm
elections, along with a measure of the influence of the
Internet activists and bloggers who have flocked to his cause.

"Senator Lieberman has cheered on the president every step
of the way when it comes to the invasion of Iraq, and he is too
quick to compromise on core Democratic principles," Lamont, a
businessman and former Greenwich town selectman, told Reuters.

"He's wrong on the big issues of the day and he is not
challenging the Bush administration," added Lamont, who
qualified for the August 8 primary ballot by winning 33 percent
of the delegates at the state party convention last month.

Lieberman, who has not faced a tough re-election race since
entering the U.S. Senate 18 years ago, has been stirred by the
challenge, stepping up his state schedule and launching a
television ad attacking Lamont for votes he cast in Greenwich.

Lieberman acknowledges his support for the war runs counter
to sentiment in Connecticut, where a recent poll found more
than 60 percent of voters believe the war is wrong. But he also
points to a poll showing just 15 percent of state voters would
support a candidate based solely on his position on Iraq.

"On the war, I've done what I thought was right for my
country. I obviously haven't done it for political reasons,"
Lieberman told Reuters.

Calling himself a "proud Democrat," he said, "There is a
lot of opposition to the war here but a lot of people I talk to
understand that now that we're there we have to end it in a way
that doesn't leave a disaster behind."

Lieberman has frustrated Democrats for years on issues
beyond Iraq, from his early condemnation of President Bill
Clinton during the 1998 Monica Lewinsky scandal to his recent
refusal to support a filibuster against conservative Supreme
Court nominee Samuel Alito.

CRITICISM BUILDS

His 2004 presidential candidacy fell flat and criticism
from the left has intensified, particularly after he published
a Wall Street Journal article last year headlined "Our Troops
Must Stay" that chided Democrats for criticizing Bush on the
war.

"There is a very sizable contingent of liberal Democrats in
this state who want a change," said Gary Rose, a political
analyst at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut.
"Anything could happen in this primary. Turnout will be low."

Lamont, whose last bid for office was an unsuccessful 1990
run for the state Senate, condemns Lieberman as a Bush "lapdog"
whose conservative views provide political aid to the
president.

Lamont supports an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from
combat zones and a quick handover of security duties to Iraqis,
although troops would remain there in humanitarian and support
roles.

His message has made him a darling of Internet bloggers who
have funneled money and grassroots muscle to his campaign.

During a recent visit to a Meriden, Connecticut, diner,
Lieberman stuck to his message on Iraq even when a local
Democrat said he was concerned about the war.

Marquis said later he voted for Lieberman in the past but
was unsure this year. "I like him, but this war thing has
thrown me off. I don't know which way to go now."

But Frank Griffin, a retired Meriden worker, told Lieberman
to stay the course. "I like that he sticks to his guns and
doesn't back down," Griffin said.

Lieberman has refused to rule out an independent bid if he
loses the primary, giving rise to Democratic fears he could
split their vote and give the seat to Republican candidate Alan
Schlesinger, a state legislator.